Strategy Versus Execution

There was such a buzz around Roland Garros today when Carlos Moya played Rafael Nadal. Since Moya knows Nadal’s game very well, tennis fans and coaches figured the match would be a great insight into “how to beat Nadal.” There were some successful strategies that Moya used such as playing a lot to Nadal’s backhand and then throwing in a drop shot to the forehand side. However, it is often so much more about execution in
these kinds of matches than strategy, although clearly playing the appropriate strategy is key! As when Canas beat Federer a couple times in the spring, there were definitely some lessons to be learned, but the challenge still remains for players to execute effectively. Nadal is a very talented player and obviously playing very confidently at the moment, but Moya has beaten him in the past. We don’t know who wins most of their practice matches, but like with your weekly playing partner, they know each other’s game very well. When you play your friend, the winner each week is the player who “makes his shots” that time around… it happens in the pros too!






